These are the elephants in the American economy. All other spending is minor compared to spending on healthcare and the military. If we can get greater efficiencies in these two areas, all the other problems become much more manageable.

The real scandal for John McCain's V.P.-to-be is that Palin has exhibited a voracious appetite for the very congressional earmarks and pork barrel spending that John McCain has made a signature issue of trying to stamp out.